Traffic line length control apparatus

ABSTRACT

The length of continuous or dashed highway traffic lines being painted by a machine is automatically controlled by a vehicle driven cam switch selectively joined to a pair of storage relay counting devices which set the length of time the machine paints continuous lines or dashed lines on the highway.

United States Patent 1111 3,57

[72] Inventors Ernst John [50] Field of Search 317/140; Grossauheim; 94/].5, (lnquired); 118/8, 7; 307/141, 141.4, Rudi Zellmann, Frankfurt, Germany 141.8, 115, 132 (ER), 149; 239/120, 150, 155,

[21] Appl. No. 760,438 156 [22] Filed Sept. 18, 1968 451 Patented Mar. 23, 1971 1 References Cried [73] Assignee Deutsche Gold-Und Silber-Scheideanstalt UNITED STATES PATENTS vflrmals Roessler 2,087,039 7/1937 McMaster 235/92 Frankfurlam Mam, Germany 3,421,476 1/1969 Mattos 118/8 [32] Priority Sept. 20, 1967 [33] Germany Przrnary Examzner- Lee T. l-11x [31 1 B36577 Assistant Examiner-C. L. Yates [54] TRAFFIC LINE LENGTH CONTROL APPARATUS 8 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

[52] U.S. Cl 317/140, 317/157, 307/141, 307/149, 94/15 [51] Int. Cl HOlh 47/00 Attorneys-Francis D. Stephens and Hugo l-luettig, Jr.

ABSTRACT: The length of continuous or dashed highway traffic lines being painted by a machine is automatically controlled by a vehicle driven cam switch selectively joined to a pair of storage relay counting devices which set the length of time the machine paints continuous lines or dashed lines on the highway.

PATENTEU HAR23 I97! INVENTORS Ernsf John Rudz' Zellmann TKRAEIFHQ LHNE LENGTH-l (IQNTRQL APPARATUS This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a continuous or dashed highway line being made by a road-marking machine vehicle.

Vehicle-mounted apparatuses are known for putting street markings on the surface of streets and/or highways in which the marking material, such as paint, is deposited from openable and closable openings for storage tanks for the marking material or by means of spray guns. Such opening and closing of the openings has been done manually rather than automatically. However, vehicle street-marking machines are also known in which the length of the continuous or dashed lines and the interval between the lines is controlled by cam shafts and contact transmitters. In this case, the cam shaft is either driven by a measuring wheel engaging the road surface, together with the other vehicle wheels, or directly from a vehicle wheel axle. Such has a large disadvantage in that a separate cam must be provided for each line length or interval between lines. Since neither the length of a line nor the relationship between the length of the line and the space between lines is uniform in all countries, it is necessary to use a different cam for each country. In addition, necessary time-consuming operations and adjustment periods are always necessary.

The object of this invention is to avoid the aforesaid disadvantages and to produce a way for adjusting the length of the lines and the space between the lines at random and independently of one another by using only one cam and only one contact transmitter. Another object is to produce an apparatus in which the line length and space between line lengths can be adjusted while the machine is operating and without interrupting the same.

in general, these objects are obtained by providing a machine with an apparatus composed of a cam engaging a contact transmitter or switch with the cam being driven directly or indirectly by the movement of the vehicle street marking machine, the switch being connected to two storage relay counters through a two-way switch, which counters are joined on their output sides either electromagnetically or by a selector switch. Two output relays connected to selector switches are joined to contact points from which connections are made to the outlets for the marking material tanks. A contact is also made for a quiet current and one for the operating current in the circuit in advance of the connecting points.

The cam wheel is driven preferably through a transmission switch gear. it is of most advantage however to use an infinitely variable speed transmission gear. The gear, in turn, is driven by a measuring wheel rotating on the highway surface or from one of the vehicle wheel axles.

The means by which the objects of this invention are obtained are described more fully with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which shows the basic circuit of this invention.

The measuring wheel 1 is connected through an infinitely variable speed transmission gear means 2 to the cam wheel 3. The cam of this cam wheel closes the contact transmitter or switch 4 for a short time on each rotation of the cam wheel for producing an electrical pulse. This is always done according to any desired preselected basic line length so that the transmission gear can be provided for fixed basic road lengths or a plurality of the same or, on the other hand, an infinitely variable speed transmission gear for varying basic lengths. The pulses thus produced go through a two-way switch 5 into a storage relay electromagnetic counting device 6 which according to the drawing of the apparatus (which is a working example of the invention) stores the pulses for the length of the intermission between two lines. The selector switch 7 enables the operator to select the number of pulses (at least one pulse) from the counting device 6 for the relay whereby each pulse corresponds to the adjusted basic length of the intermission and respectively to the equal basic length of the line or in other words to the basic length of the road. When the number of incoming pulses stored in relay 6 corresponds to the selected number of pulses adjusted by the operator the output relay 8 is actuated and closes the operating current switch 9 so that, on one hand, the connecting points 10 receive electric current for operating, preferably by way of electromagnetic action, an outlet opening (not shown) for the marking material.

Switch 9 is also a self-holding contact for relay 8 so that relay remains in operating position when switch is closed.

On the other hand, outlet relay 8 actuates the changeover of switch 5 so that the counting device 11 can store the incoming pulses for the length of the dashed lines. When again the number of incoming pulses are equal to the number of pulses selected by the operator by means of selector switch 12 outlet relay 113 is actuated and it operates the quiet current switch 14, thus interrupting the flowing current for the connecting points 10. Thereby the outlet openings (not shown) for the marking material is closed. Furthermore, the self-holding position of relay 8 is interrupted by switch 14 (by way of closed switch 9) so that relay 3 is placed in a quiet position and the two-way switch 5 is actuated again for the changeover to device 6, so that now incoming pulses are stored for the length of the intermission again.

This apparatus makes it possible to control all marking devices which are driven in an electromagnetic manner. It does not matter whether the apparatus is used for spray guns, wiping shoes or nor'zles. lt is also possible to equalize retardation during the discharge of the material, in other words, retardation in time, in a well-known manner by using adjustable electrical time retarding elements 15 and 15'.

This apparatus makes it possible to make all line lengths for dashed lines as well as the space between lines with the use of only one cam for a multiplicity of a basic line length. Also, with this apparatus, it is possible to select dash line lengths and spaces between lines independently of one another. Furthermore, it is possible to vary the basic line length at random and as desired by means of a gear transmission which is preferably an infinitely variable speed transmission gear which is either driven by a measuring wheel engaging the highway surface or by means of a wheel axle so that, in practice, it is possible to produce any and all lengths for the lines or the spaces between the lines.

As an example, when an intermission length of four yards and a line length of six yards are wished to be marked on a highway the cam of the cam wheel 3 is adjusted by means of the infinitely variable speed transmission gear 2 so that one rotation of the cam wheel corresponds to one yard of road length. in this case the selector switch 7 of the counting device 6 is adjusted to the fourth contact and the selector switch 12 to the sixth contact. The gear 2 permits the adjustment of every reasonable length of the basic road length.

We claim:

1. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means driven by said wheel, electrical switch means engageable by said cam means for sending electrical impulses, two storage relay electromagnetic counting devices each having a plurality of outputs, two-way switch means selectively joining one of said counting devices to said electrical switch means, a selector switch connected to one of the outputs of each of said counting devices, respectively, an output relay having at least one set of contacts and an operating winding joined to each selector switch, respectively, and connecting point means joined to a power source through a set of contacts from each of the relays for transmitting signals to set the length of time for the space and the length of the dashed line, one of the sets of contacts also forming a hold circuit for one of the relays and said two-way switch means being one of a set of contacts controlled by one of the relays.

2. An apparatus as in claim i, said cam means further comprising an infinitely variable speed transmission joined to said vehicle wheel.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, said vehicle wheel comprising a measuring wheel rotatable on the surface of the highway.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, said connecting point means comprising time adjustable electrical retarding element means.

5. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means on a cam wheel, said cam wheel driven by an infinitely variable speed transmission gear means driven by said vehicle wheel, electrical switch means engageable by said cam means for sending electrical pulses, two storage relay electromagnetic counting devices each having a plurality of outputs, one of which operates for the length of the intermission between two lines (dashed lines) and the second operating for the length of the line, two-way switch means selectively joining one of the outputs of said counting devices to said electrical switch means, a selector switch connected to the output side of each of said counting devices, respectively, an output relay joined to each selector switch, respectively, and connecting point means joined to each output relay for transmitting signals to set the length of a continuous line or a dashed line.

6. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means on a cam wheel, said cam wheel driven by an infinitely variable speed transmission gear means driven by said vehicle wheel, electrical switch means engageable by relay joined to each selector switch, respectively, an operating current switch means connected to said output relay which is actuated by the intermission length counting device, a quiet current switch means connected to said output relay which is actuated by the line length counting device, both said current switch means connected in line to one connecting point of a connecting point means, the second connecting point of which being joined to both output relays and said connecting point means transmitting electrical current to set the length of the line and the length of the intermission.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6, said vehicle wheel comprising a measuring wheel rotatable on the surface of the highway.

8. An apparatus as in claim 6, said connecting point means comprising time adjustable electrical retarding element means. 

1. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means driven by said wheel, electrical switch means engageable by said cam means for sending electrical impulses, two storage relay electromagnetic counting devices each having a plurality of outputs, two-way switch means selectively joining one of said counting devices to said electrical switch means, a selector switch connected to one of the outputs of each of said counting devices, respectively, an output relay having at least one set of contacts and an operating winding joined to each selector switch, respectively, and connecting point means joined to a power source through a set of contacts from each of the relays for transmitting signals to set the length of time for the space and the length of the dashed line, one of the sets of contacts also forming a hold circuit for one of the relays and said two-way switch means being one of a set of contacts controlled by one of the relays.
 2. An apparatus as in claim 1, said cam means further comprising an infinitely variable speed transmission joined to said vehicle wheel.
 3. An apparatus as in claim 2, said vehicle wheel comprising a measuring wheel rotatable on the surface of the highway.
 4. An apparatus as in claim 1, said connecting point means comprising time adjustable electrical retarding element means.
 5. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means on a cam wheel, said cam wheel driven by an infinitely variable speed transmission gear means driven by said vehicle wheel, electrical switch means engageable by said cam means for sending electrical pulses, two storage relay electromagnetic counting devices each having a plurality of outputs, one of which operates for the length of the intermission between two lines (dashed lines) and the second operating for the length of the line, two-way switch means selectively joining one of the outputs of said counting devices to said electrical switch means, a selector switch connected to the output side of each of said counting devices, respectively, an output relay joined to each selector switch, respectively, and connecting point means joined to each output relay for transmitting signals to set the length of a continuous line or a dashed line.
 6. A highway line-marking apparatus for automatically controlling the length of a highway traffic line comprising a vehicle wheel, cam means on a cam wheel, said cam wheel driven by an infinitely variable speed transmission gear means driven by said vehicle wheel, electrical switch means engageable by said cam means for sending electrical impulses, two storage relay electromagnetic counting devices each having a plurality of outputs, one of which operates for the length of the intermission between two lines (dashed lines) and the second operating for the length of the line, two-way switch means selectively joining said counting devices to said electrical switch means, a selector switch connected to one of the outputs of each of said counting devices, respectively, an output relay joined to each selector switch, respectively, an operating current switch means connected to said output relay which is actuated by the intermission length counting device, a quiet current switch means connected to said output relay which is actuated by the line length counting device, both said current switch means connected in line to one connecting point of a connecting point means, the second connecting point of which being joined to both output relays and said connecting point means transmitting electrical current to set the length of the line and the length of the intermission.
 7. An apparatus as in claim 6, said vehicle wheel comprising a measuring wheel rotatable on the surface of the highway.
 8. An apparatus as in claim 6, saId connecting point means comprising time adjustable electrical retarding element means. 